| Artist | Rob Sample | Resides | United States |
| Website | disanpaolo.com | Medium | Oil Charcoal |
| Follow the Artist | Instagram | Facebook | robertsample.art@gmail.com | |
| Themes | Mythology, nature and the cosmos, the weird. |
About the artist
“When I was 8, I discovered comic books and fell in love with storytelling. When I was 18, I discovered John Singer Sargent and fell in love with painting”
Growing up as an only child on 4 acres of woodland with plenty of books and a faithful dog, Rob Sample had plenty of opportunities to let his imagination run wild. Drawn to tales of fantasy and adventure, he employs symbolism and narrative in his works, often through figures and animals, to address the universal themes of mortality, change and acceptance.
Primarily interested in drawing and painting, Rob expresses himself through charcoal and oils. He strives for a strong sense of realism in his works, with a focus on shape and value. The medium and surface also play an important role in his process, as Rob favors the bold and expressionistic mark making of a direct alla prima approach.
Artwork Themes & Subject Matter
Rob Sample was 8 years old the first time he picked up a comic book and instantly fell in love with the power of images to tell a story. The heroic figures, the over-the-top action, the melodrama – even the silliness – he loved it all. When he was 18, Rob discovered John Singer Sargent, his bravura and his absolute mastery of the perfectly placed brushstroke. And he fell in love again, this time with painting. The Golden Age illustrators, Pyle and Wyeth, were a natural progression. These giants created lands of wonder, and I wanted to do the same.
With the constant stream of information, we receive on a daily basis – Rob likes his images to feature more primal, and hopefully universal, subject matter. Figures from myth and legend, elevated in their beauty. Anthropomorphic animals, like those from Aesop’s fables, and stories much older, carrying messages and wisdom for those who would listen. Worlds of wonder, weirdness, and sometimes terror, to remind us of all of our universal human roots.
Upcoming Exhibitions
| When | Exhibition | Gallery |
| Jan – Apr 2026 | Group exhibition: ‘Four’s a Crowd’ | Painted Stave Smyrna, Delaware, USA |
CV
Education
2005
Bachelor of Fine Arts: Painting, University of Delaware, Delaware, United States
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Paragons, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Wilmington, United States
Sense, Sentiment, and Wonder, Painted Stave, Smyrna, United States
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
Big Little Art Show 2025, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
The Sky’s the Limit, Smyrna Opera House, Smyrna, United States
Award Winners XXV, Delaware Division of the Arts Fellowship Show; Biggs American Museum of Art, Dover; Historic Odessa Foundation, Odesa; Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, United States
2024
Coffin Ball, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
86th Annual Members Fine Art Exhibit, Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, United States
2023
Wicked Winter, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
Delaware State Employee Art Show, DSU Art Center and Gallery, Dover, United States
2022
Big Little Art Show 2022, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
2020
Wicked Winter, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
2019
Big Little Art Show 2019, Talleyville Frame Shoppe and Gallery, Talleyville, United States
2018
155th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, United States
Delaware Fun-a-Day, Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, United States
2015
Delaware State Employee Art Show, DSU Art Center and Gallery, Dover, United States
